Cigarette lighter



Nov. 7, 1950 l. lg DAVIS f CIGARETTE LIGHTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 20, 1948 Y JNVENTOR l/vco/ N K DAV/s BY M, 9

7' TORNE YS.

L K. DAvls 2,528,500

CIGARETTE LIGHTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 7,' 1950 I Filed Jan. 2o, 1948 JNVENToR. wcm/v K. DA v/s ATTORNEYS.

BY @a4/@MVM Patented Nov. 7, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE CIGARETTE LIGHTER Lincoln K. Davis, Brockton, Mass.

vApplication January 20, 1948, Serial No. 3,191

6 Claims.

conventional lighter socket, usually present on automobiles, for the-so-called cordless lighters to provide a lighter which is simple to operate, inexpensive to manufacture and reliable in use. According to a preferred form of the invention, the cigarette lighter comprises a tubular body adapted to fit a conventional automobile dashf board socket; the body has a projecting inclined knob having vanfinclinecl cigarette-receiving orice.- The body includes a cylinder and piston; the piston has an eccentric piston rod projecting out under the knob and having a button by which the piston may be pumped back and forth to light a cigarette. At the inner end of the ciga- Y rette-receiving opening is an electric igniter element. The parts are so arranged that pushing-- in of the button, to Work the pump, causes airv to flow outwardly through the igniter element and through the cigarette, thus puing the cigarette and lighting it while it is in the lighter.

The invention also consists in certain new and., v original features land combinations hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be particularly pointed out inthe claims appended hereto, the invention itself, as toits objects and advantages, and the manner in which it may be carried out, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming, Y a part hereof, in which:

Fig. l is a longitudinal vertical section through the preferred lighter showing its position in a conventional type lighter socket on the dashboard of an automobile; Y Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front View of the lighter as see from the front seat of the automobile;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the igniter assembly;

Fig. 5 is a front view of such assembly looking from right to left of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan View of the igniterassembly as it would appear, looking upwardly, .with the assembly in position shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation oi the cylinder only;

Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the open end of the cylinder; I

Fig. 9 is an enlarged side elevation, and partial central section, of arnodied form of lighter with the knob pressed inwardly Vto an intermediate position; and

Fig. 10 is a detail on the line lli-l0 of Fig. 9.

In the following description and in the claims, various .details will be identified by specic names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application as the art will permit.

Like reference characters denote'like parts in the several gures of the drawings.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specication, certain specific disclosure of the invention is made for purposes of explanation, but it will be understood that the details may be modified in various respects without departure from the broad aspect of the invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 6, the lighter, in general, comprises a lighter body I0 shown inserted in the conventional dashboard socket, one type of which is shown somewhat diagrammatically at Il. The `main parts of the lighter body l ll include a cylinder Il, a knob l2, piston I3, vpush rod I4 and pushbutton I8. The knob has an oblique cigarette hole i5 in which a cigarette is shown in position to bev lighted, the cigarette being disposed against the igniter element of igniter assembly I5.

It will b-e understood that the cigarette is lighted by moving button i8 back and forth'to make the piston I3 reciprocate in cylinder Agl'l. This movement energizes the igniter l 6 and forces air outwardly through the igniter and cigarette to light the cigarette. For convenience of description, the words inner and its `derivatives is used to indicate the end of the lighter and associated apparatus away from the operator, while the term.outer and its derivatives is used to indicate the end of the lighter toward the operator; the direction fin means away from the car operator, the direction out means towards the car operator.

The automobile dashboard socket, indicated by Il, will rst be described. This comprises a tubular metal body 2l,1 having an outer ilange 2| engaging the dashboard 22 of an automobile and .provided with retaining means, as for example, ring 23, to hold the socket in position on the dash. The inner end of such socket is ordinarily provided with a bimetal member 24 having a series of lingers. r'L-he member 24 is secured Ato the inner end of the body 2i] by a bolt 25 passing through the nger member and through an enlarged hole in the end of the tubular body 20. Insulating washers, indicated by 28, and a metal washer 21 surround bolt 25 and the whole assembly is clamped by nut 28 to the inner end of body 20 in such way that the bolt 25 and Contact iinger member 24 are electrically insulated from the metal body 20. The metal body 25 may be provided with vents 29 and struck-out Contact strips 3D to tightly engage the cylinder I I of the lighter body I0.

The lighter body I comprises the metal cylinder II and the plastic knob I2. The knob I2 has an opening for piston rod I4 and a projecting guide post 33 to help guide the piston rod I4 which is oli-center from the piston I 3. The knob I2 is also provided with a sleeve 34 which receives the end of metal cylinder II. The plastic knob I2, which is of electric insulating material, has a diagonal projection 35 in which is the flared cigarette hole I5. The knob I2 also has an interior Y recess for the igniter assembly I6 described more in detail below.

The interior of sleeve 34 has a plurality of longitudinal grooves 38 (see also Fig. 2) to receive cooperating nibs 31 (see Figs. '7 and 8) struck out of the outer wall of metal cylinder I I. These nibs 31 cooperate with the slots 38 to hold the knob and cylinder conveniently assembled. This construction is described and illustrated more in detail in connection with the modiiied form shown in Figs. 9 and 10.

The igniter assembly I comprises an insulating contact plate 40 (see also Figs. 4 to 6) which is disposed between the end of cylinder II and the bottom of the sleeve 34 on the knob when the lighter is assembled. The contact plate 40 supports a exible contact finger 4I and a ground clip 42. It has a hole 43 connecting the cylinder space with the heater space. The contact plate 48 is connected to an igniter base 44, which may be made of mica or some other heat resisting material, through spaced gusset or igniter lugs 48 (see particularly Fig. 6). The igniter base 44 has a large opening 45 over which is located the resistance wire 45; this is bent back lsistance wire overlap the opening 45 to provide support for the resistance wire but for its greater `extent the resistance wire is unbacked by the igniter base 44.

This open construction, with the large hole 45 extending substantially the entire area of the planar heater element, has advantages explained hereinafter. The hole 45 is substantially round and of substantially the area of the end of a conventional cigarette.

The ends of the resistance wire 46 are connectedl respectively to the gussets 48 by rivets 41 passing through the igniter base 44. Likewise, the contacts 4I and 42 are connected to the gussets 48 by rivets 43 passing through contact plate 4I). This construction provides an electrical path from flexible contact linger 4| through the resistance wire back to ground clip 42, as will be explained below.

The piston assembly comprises the metal piston plate I3 having a rubber ring 52 surrounding the edge thereof and engaging the walls of the cylinder II. The piston rod I4 is connected to plate I3 by integral rivet 53. The outer end of piston rod I4 may be knurled or roughened to improve the bond between it and the pushbutton I8 which may be of electric insulation material and molded on the end of rod I4. The pushbutton I8 has a iiattened top cooperating with a flattened lower surface on the knob I2 (see Fig. 3).

The piston rod I4 has a recess 54 for the purpose of clearing the contact nger 4I when the push rod I4 is in outer or normal position. It

The nature of the rubber packing ring 52 isl such that it not only insulates the metal piston plate 53 from metal cylinder II, but it also acts as a kind of one way valve. That is to say, when the pushbutton I8 is pressed inwardly, it tends (for reasonsthat will appear) to build up pressure on the left hand side of piston I3 in Figure 1. This pressure causes the rubber packing ring 52 to collapse and the air to pass by to the right hand side of piston I3. However, after piston I3 is in its innermost position and the spring 68 pushes it to the right in Figure 1, the air pres- Sure built up in front of piston I3 acts to seal the packing ring 52 against the walls of the cyl inder, causing the air to pass outwardly through hole 43 in contact plate 44 and through the igniter wire 45 and out through the cigarette.

The outer end of cylinder II preferably is of slightly larger internal diameter than the working portion, to allow packing ring 53 to expand slightly in its outermost or rest position; this prevents its taking a set which in time might, in turn, prevent proper air sealing during its outward stroke.

The inner end of cylinder II is provided with a screw 55 threaded into a dished terminal nut member 5I which engages the bimetallic fingers 24. It will be noted that the engagement of sleeve 34 of knob I2 against the flange 2| of the lighter socket I1 limits the innermost position of the nut member 6I.

The inner wall of cylinder II has an enlarged opening through which the screw 55 passes in spaced relation. Insulating washers 55 are placed on opposite sides of the end wall of cylinder II. Also mounted on screw 55 is a metal washer 51. The entire assembly of washers is tightly clamped by the tightening of terminal nut 5I on screw 55, so as to electrically insulate the screw 55 from the end of cylinder I I. Surrounding the head of screw 55 is flexible rubber valve disc 58 and a metal washer 51a. held in place by the eye of spring 8i) which tightly grips the head to screw 55 to obtain good electrical connection.

The exible washer 58 cooperates with the dished end of the cylinder II to form an air seal to control air admissible through a series of holes 59 in the end of cylinder II. The valve disc 58 acts as a check valve permitting air to be drawn through holes 59 from the outside of cylinder II to the inside, but preventing air flow through these holes in the opposite direction. The helical spring 6D which grips the head of screw 55 and engages washer 51 also engages the piston plate I3 for the dual purpose of establishing electrical connection between screw 55 and plate I 3 and to urge piston I3 outwardly whenever it is pressed inwardly by pushbutton I8.

The lighter operates as follows. The user rst places a cigarette in the cigarette hole I5 with the end against the resistance wire as illustrated in Fig. 1. The user then pushes in on the buttonV I8 allowing the spring B0 to return the piston; this pumps the'piston back and forth. Several complete strokes may be necessary before smoke Ais observed passing freely through the free end of the cigarette. This indicates `that the cigarette islighted; it may then be removed from the lighter for smoking.

I-t will be noted that, when the button I8 is pressed in, the piston tends to generate pressure vin the inner end of the cylinder, which pressure causes the valve disc 58 to close the end of the cylinder. This compresses the air in frontof the piston and this air passes by to the outer side of -the piston, as explained above.

The spring .E is available to cause outward movement of the piston, forcing air in front of the piston through the hole 43 .in the contact plate, through the hole 45 in the igniter plate, and through the resistance wire 46 and thence through the cigarette. At the same time air is vsucked in behind the piston through the holes y to socket 2li which is grounded to the car frame.

Starting with the bimetallic contact fingers 2li which are alive, the electricity passes through the terminal nut 5I through the fastening screw 55, thence to spring Sil, to the piston head i3, push rod I4, contact nger 4|, one igniter lug rey sistance wire 45, other igniter lug 48, ground clip 42 and metal cylinder Il which is grounded to socket 20.

It has been found that keeping the cigarette smoke out of the cylinder Il as much as possible helps prevent the smoke residue, which is in the nature of a sticky or gummy tar, from forming on the cylinder walls. The end check valve 55 and 'the collapsible rubber piston packing 52 provide acne-way air flow and this largely helps prevent entry of smoke into the cylinder.

It has also been found that the use of the large opening 45 immediately behind the resistance wire 46 helps minimize smoke formation on the inward movement of the piston. Apparently the `contact between the tobacco and the incandescent ignition'wire, when not closely backed 'with heat retaining material, such as a body of mica, is insufficient to ignite the tobacco except when the piston is moving outwardly and pushing a draft of air outwardly through the igniter into the cigarette. Apparently it takes the contact heat from the incandescent wire, plus a flow of hot air into the cigarette, to provide enough heat to burn the tobacco.

Referring now t0 Figures 9 and l0, a modified form of lighter is shown. This form closely follows the form shown in Figures 1 to 8 except that in the second form a special piston I3' is provided and a special check valve 'Hl is provided in the contact plate Except for th-ese changes, the construction is the same as in Figures 1 to 8 and corresponding parts are given the same ref- Verence characters with primes added for simplicity.

The differences will now be described. The piston comprises piston plate 64 rigidly connected to push rod I4 by the rivet 53. This plate has an 'annular bevel 65. Alongside plate 64 is a second plate 66 on which the rubber packing ring 52 is The car battery is mounted. Plate 66 has .holes 68. A screw i6?! 4passes loosely through `plate-65 fand is tightly threaded into plate E4. This-construction permits axial play between plates 64 and 66. Thus, when the Ypushbutton I8 is pressed inwardly, the annular ring 65 moves away from packing ring 52 providing Ya positive Vpassage for the air from the left side of the piston in Figure Q to the right side. When the piston moves from left to right under the pressure of spring 59', the beveled valve 'flange E55 seats against the cooperating bevel on packing ring 52' closing the piston valve and pushing all the air in the chamber at the right of the piston out through the check valve I0 and hole 43' in contact plate 4u' and out through the cigarette, as explained in connection with Figures l to 8.

The contact plate 40 has a washer 1I suitably secured around the periphery of hole 43. Suitably secured to washer la is a check valve plate S9. This plate may .be of rubber, or some other soft material, and has an incomplete circular slit cut into it to form a swinging flap 10. The slit is cut conical forming a bevel vedge on flap 10 and a bevel seat on plate 69. Flap 'lll acts `as a check valve permitting air to pass from the cylinder I I out through the cigarette but preventing return movement of air, or smoke, or products of combustion.

Either the special piston I3', or the special check valve l0, or both, may he used to help prevent entry of smoke into the cylinder, but, as above stated, the construction shown in Figures 1 t0 8 is sunicient in most cases to eliminate difficulties due to deposits of tar on the cylinder walls interfering with the pumping action of the piston.

The arrangement for holding the knob I2" assembled with respect to cylinder I I includes the longitudinal Vgrooves 36 cut in the 'internal Surface of sleeve 34. The nibs 31 on cylinder II' are struck in such way that the outer edges 0f the nibs lie along the lines of a helix. Thus, as the sleeve 34 is pushed down over the cylinder II the nibs 3l enter the `grooves 36 until the knob I2' is pushed in against the cylinder II all the way, then the knob l2 is given a twist clockwise with respect to cylinder II. This causes the sharp nibs 3l to cut short helical thread grooves, indicated by 'I2 in Figure l0, in the inner surface of sleeve 34, thus tightly and xedly anchoring the knob i 2 onto the cylinder Il Thus a cigarette lighter is provided, which can beV inexpensively made, which is easy to install in a conventional lighter opening and which is easy to operate, even by a driver while driving an automobile. It is only necessary to impart a few short strokes to the pushbutton and the inserted cigarette is lighted. The yparts are capable of inexpensive mass production, assembly is simple, and the completed lighter is reliable.

While certain novel features of the invention have been disclosed herein, and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes may be made by those skilled in the `art without departing from the spirit of -the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cigarette lighter, a body comprising a metal cylinder having an insulating knob secured to the outer end thereof, said knob having an off-center opening and a cigarette-receiving hole, a piston comprising a metal piston plate and having a flexible sealing ring secured vthereto slidable in said cylinder, said piston incorpo- 'ratinga check valve, a metal piston rod ixedly secured to said plate and passing out through vsaid ofi-center opening, said rod having a recess, an electrical contact member passing through theinner end of said cylinder and insulated from said cylinder, a helical spring bearing against fsaid contact member and against said piston plate, an igniter assembly comprising a contact plate seated in said knob, said Contact plate having a ground clip contacting said cylinder and a flexible finger disposed in said recess, resist-ance wire at the inner end of said cigarette-receiving hole, supporty members connecting the ends of said resistance wire respectively to said contact finger and ground clip.

2. In a cigarette lighter, a body comprising a metal cylinder having an insulating knob secured to the outer end thereof, said knob having. 'an off-center opening and an oblique cigarette-receiving hole, a piston comprising a metal piston plate and having a flexible sealing ring y'secured thereto slidable in said cylinder, said v'piston incorporating a check valve, a metal piston rod xedly secured to said plate and passing 'out through said oil-center opening, said rod 'having a notch, an electrical contact'member passingfthrough the inner end of said cylinder andv insulated from said cylinder, a helical spring bearing against said contact member and against ysaid piston plate, an igniter assembly comprising -a contact plate seated in said knob, said contact plate yhaving a ground clip contacting said cylinder and a flexible finger disposed in said notch,

van igniter base at the inner end of said cigarettereceiving hole, resistance wire on said igniter base', support members connecting said igniter base and said contact plate and electrically7 connecting the ends of said resistance wire respectively to said contact linger and ground clip, the inner end of said cylinder having an opening, a flexible disc seated over said opening and adapted to permit air to enter said cylinder from the outside but to prevent contrary ilow of air.

3. In an electric cigarette lighter for use on the dashboard of automobiles and the like, said dashboard having a socket, a lighter casing comprising a cylinder and a body secured to the outer end of the cylinder, said cylinder being adapted to be inserted within said socket with said body projecting from the socket, a piston in said cylinder, said piston having an eccentrically disposed piston rod at the side thereof below the axis of the cylinder, said body having a guide portion toy slidably receive said piston rod, said body having an obliquely upwardly extending cigarette-receiving opening above said piston rod, an elecvtric igniter element at the inner end of said opening, and means to move said rod to force air out through said igniter element and cigarette opening and to energize said igniter element.

4. In a lighter for cigarettes or the like, a casing comprising a cylinder and a body secured to the outer end or said cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, a push rod connected to said piston,

said rod projecting outwardly through the outer position, vent means at the inner end of said cylinder, said piston having check means for passing air from the inner end of said cylinder to the outer end thereof when the piston rod is pushed inwardly, said kpiston forcing air ahead of it, when the compression spring pushes said pist0n outwardly, through said igniter element and inserted cigarette.

5. In an electric lighter for cigarettes andthe like, a casing comprising a cylinder and a cigarette.' holding member at the outer end of the cylinder, an igniter assembly comprising an' insulation plate disposed across the end of said cylinder, said plate carrying spaced supports, an igniter element including resistance wire mounted on said supports, said holding member having a cigarette-receiving opening for holding a cigarette adjacent said igniter element, said insulation plate carrying electrical contacts, said supports providing electrical connection be.- tween the ends of said resistance wire and said contacts, a piston in said cylinder, a rod connected to said piston and extending outwardly, said rod having a clearance space in which one of said contacts is normally located, movement of said piston establishing electrical connection between said rod and said one contact and foro'- ing air through the resistance wire and cigarette, said other contact comprising means to complete an external electric circuit.

6. In a lighter for cigarettes and the like, a casing comprising a cylinder and a body secured to said cylinder at the outer end of said cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, a push rod secured to said piston, said rod projecting through the outer end of said cylinder, a spring operating between the inner end or said cylinder and said piston to urge said piston outwardly, said rod having a circuit-opening portion, an electric igniter in said body, electric connections to said igniter including a contact iinger normally disposed at said circuit-opening portion, said body having a cigarette-receiving opening for holding a cigarette in proximity to said igniter, said opening being in communication with the'interior of said cylinder, said push rod being engageable with said contact finger upon pushing said rod inwardly, said push rod being engage'- able with said contact finger throughout a substantial part of the length of said rod to mak'e electrical contact to energize the igniter element while said spring is urging said piston outwardly and forcing air through said igniter and inserted cigarette.

LINCOLN K. DAVIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

